Tomo Ostojic
When Tomo Ostojic left his small hometown in Communist-ruled Yugoslavia in the late 1960s, he carried little more than determination and a vision for a better life. Arriving in Australia with only a few words of English and a modest amount of money, Tomo settled in Darwin, where in 1972, he began working with a single Flintstone Mack truck. From these humble beginnings, he laid the foundations for what would become the Ostojic Group, one of the Northern Territory’s most significant civil and transport businesses.
Over the decades, Tomo’s relentless work ethic grew the Ostojic Group from a one-truck operation into the diversified enterprise synonymous with the Northern Territory we know today. The company maintains a fleet of over 100 trucks, 350 trailers, 150 dollies and more than 100 pieces of earthmoving equipment. A key component of the business is a hard rock quarry and the group also owns Tristar Industries, a Darwin-based trailer manufacturing company.
While civil contracting remains the backbone of the Ostojic Group, its operations now span bulk haulage, quarrying, construction material and concrete production and plant hire. The company’s extensive road train fleet hauls hundreds of thousands of tonnes annually across the Northern Territory, Queensland and Western Australia, servicing major mining and infrastructure projects.
All five of Tomo’s children have followed in his footsteps, each carving out their own place in the company he built from the ground up. From a young age, the boys were never far from their father’s side, eager to be part of the world he was creating. Today, Simon leads as General Manager, Stojan oversees operations at Tristar, Stefan manages the quarry and Marcus drives one of the company’s roadtrains. Kylie, though living in Melbourne, remains closely connected to the business, offering her support across various areas.
One of Tomo’s proudest milestones came full circle when the company was contracted to seal the final section of Litchfield National Park Road, a project that held deep personal meaning, as he had helped build the first stretch more than 30 years earlier. Over the decades, Tomo’s contributions to road construction have played a vital role in shaping the Northern Territory’s transport industry. By helping to open up remote regions and improve accessibility, his work has laid the groundwork for safer, more efficient freight and travel routes across the Top End.
Though he has stepped back from daily operations, Tomo remains actively involved. His journey is a reflection of family pride and the power of pure hard work and the Ostojic Group stands as a tribute to his drive and the strong family values he has instilled that continue to shape its success.
